Easy chocolate Yule log recipe (bûche de Noël)
Prep: 50 min · Cook: 10 min · Makes: 8-10 · For:
A chocolate yule log is the dessert that makes children's eyes go round. It looks like a snowy log from the forest, but inside it is a soft chocolate sponge rolled around a cloud of vanilla cream.
It looks hard to make, but the steps are simple. The secret is to roll the sponge while it is still warm, so it remembers its shape and does not crack when you fill it.
Tips
- Room-temperature eggs whip up higher, giving a lighter sponge.
- Fold gently. You want to keep all those tiny air bubbles.
- Do not overbake. A dry sponge cracks; a just-baked one rolls.
Make it a forest scene
Add meringue mushrooms, a dusting of powdered sugar snow and a few sprigs of rosemary as tiny fir trees.
Little helpers
Children are brilliant at the bark: give them a fork and let them make the lines. They can also dust the snow and place the decorations.
Ingredients
- 4 eggs, at room temperature, for the sponge
- ½ cup granulated sugar, for the sponge, plus extra for rolling
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, for the sponge
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, for the sponge
- a pinch of salt
- 8 oz (1 cup) mascarpone, for the filling
- ¾ cup heavy cream, cold, for the filling
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar, for the filling
- 1 tsp vanilla extract, for the filling
- 7 oz semisweet chocolate, for the ganache
- ¾ cup plus 2 tbsp heavy cream, for the ganache
- 1½ tbsp butter, for the ganache
- To decorate: powdered sugar, a sprig of rosemary, a few cranberries
Method
- Ganache first: chop the chocolate and put it in a bowl. Bring the cream just to the boil, pour it over the chocolate, wait 2 minutes, add the butter and stir until glossy. Leave it at room temperature to thicken to a spreadable consistency, about 1-2 hours.
- Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a 10 x 15-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
- Whisk the eggs and sugar with an electric whisk for 6-8 minutes, until very thick, pale and tripled in volume. A trail of mixture should stay on the surface for a few seconds.
- Sift the flour, cocoa and salt over the eggs and fold in gently with a large spoon until no flour is visible. Spread the batter evenly into the pan.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the sponge springs back when you press it lightly.
- Lay a clean dish towel on the counter and sprinkle it with sugar. Turn the hot sponge out onto it, peel off the paper and roll it up from the short end with the towel inside. Leave to cool rolled up.
- Filling: whisk the mascarpone, cold cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until thick and smooth.
- Gently unroll the sponge, spread over the filling, leaving a small border, and roll it up again without the towel. Put it seam-side down on a board.
- Cut a short diagonal slice off one end and place it against the side as a branch. Cover the log with ganache and drag a fork along it to make bark. Chill for at least 1 hour.
- Just before serving, dust with powdered sugar snow and decorate with rosemary and cranberries.
Questions
Why did my sponge crack?
It was rolled too late or baked too long. Roll it while it is still hot and flexible, and take it out as soon as it springs back. A few small cracks will be hidden under the ganache anyway.
Can I make it ahead?
Yes. Keep the finished log in the fridge for up to 2 days, or freeze it without decorations for up to a month.
Are the rosemary and cranberries edible?
They are only decoration. Remove them before slicing, especially for young children.
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